Pitt’s Randy Bates deals with youth, tackling issues on his defense
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Randy Bates doesn’t hide from reality. He understands the problems confronting the Pitt defense that he coordinates, and he doesn’t make excuses for a 1-4 record, a sudden inability to stop the other team’s ground attack or allowing 72 points (minus one punt return) in the past two games.
It actually gets down to the basics of the game, matters that — in a perfect world — should have been resolved in training camp.
“We just didn’t tackle well (in the 38-21 loss at Virginia Tech),” he said. “Some of it’s (young) age of certain players, but others we just have to tackle better. We missed several tackles that would have made the game quite different.”
There has been much turnover on both sides of the football this season, but Pitt coaches and players continually speak of the concept of “next man up.” Recruiting is supposed to provide capable replacements when players are injured, move on to the NFL or transfer. But Pitt’s classes from 2020-2023 were ranked in the Rivals.com’s Top 25 only once (21st in 2021).
Several players, such as defensive linemen De’Andre Jules, Nate Temple and Bam Brima, linebackers Kyle Louis and Braylan Lovelace and safeties Donovan McMillon and P.J. O’Brien, entered this season with little or no starting experience.
“Experience matters,” Bates said. “It matters more in situations where things aren’t going well. Guys who’ve been there before, they react differently. Young guys, sometimes, it’s, ‘Oh, geez. What do I do now?’
“There were times we did that (in the Virginia Tech game). Other times, we reacted well and made good plays.”
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Six of the top nine tacklers from last season, plus defensive ends Habakkuk Baldonado (Canadian Football League) and John Morgan (transferred to Arkansas) are gone.
But you have to understand something about Bates. He’s a retired U.S. Navy lieutenant, and he learned long ago that no one wants to listen to excuses.
“We’ve had time to practice. We have some young guys who are continuing to get better,” he said. “That’s the object of the (off) week. The younger guys are coming on. Guys who have played some, who are now what you would call the experienced guys, it’s that time. We’ve gone through the preseason, and it’s now time for them to step up.”
Bates said the coaching staff’s task during the off week was “to look at everything.”
“And then you have to figure out what needs to be changed and what doesn’t need to be changed. At the end of the day, in situations where you don’t play well, you have to go back to your basics, back to your foundation. Tackling, getting off blocks, alignment, keys. All those things make you a better a football team.”
The challenge Saturday against No. 14 Louisville (6-0) is stopping ACC rushing leader Jawhar Jordan, who already has gained 653 yards at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds. Meanwhile, Pitt’s defense is allowing an average of 128.4 yards on the ground per game (seventh in the ACC). That’s 30.4 and 39.1 yards per game more than the past two seasons.
Coach Pat Narduzzi compared Jordan to former Pitt running back Izzy Abanikanda, who led the ACC in rushing last season.
“He’s not as big as Izzy, but he’s physical,” the coach said. “If you hit a hole and you don’t hit it right, if you miss it, he’s gone, like you saw Izzy a year ago. He’s had explosive screens, runs. He’s done it all. He’s got great hands out of the backfield.”
Lovelace, who was playing at Leechburg High School at this time last year, was pressed into service, along with Louis, while Bangally Kamara was recovering from an injury.
Lovelace said he went home during the off week and watched his former teammates play Jeannette. More importantly, he watched on TV as Louisville defeated Notre Dame, 33-20.
“Wow, we have to go play these guys,” he said. But he added, with his signature confidence, “We definitely can go beat them.”
Lovelace, who returned a fumble for a touchdown while making eight tackles at Virginia Tech, admits stepping into loud ACC stadiums has been “a big jump from little, old Leechburg.”
“From Leechburg to here is kind of like a wow moment.”
But he said he hasn’t been overwhelmed since he arrived in January.
“I came in with confidence that I could do it,” he said. “Every time I go out on the field I try to think I’m just as good as everybody else out there. They might be five years older than me, but I can do what they can do.”
“Braylan has continued to get better every week,” Bates said. “The problem with a guy his age (18) is you’re going to make some mistakes, and the critical thing he’s gotten better at is he’s learned from those mistakes and gotten better because of it.
Added the teacher: “Every day’s training camp when you have young guys.”